PORTAGE, Ind. — A soldier from northwestern Indiana who was killed in Iraq this
week had planned on joining the military since he was a child.

Spc. Adam J. Harting, 21, died Monday when an explosive detonated near an
armored vehicle in Samarra, Iraq, the military said. He and his twin brother
gave their father letters when they were young saying they wanted to become
soldiers.

“Little contracts that they both wrote,” said the soldier’s father, Jim Harting
of Valparaiso. “He believed in what he was doing.”

Harting grew up in Portage, graduating from Portage High School in 2002.

He and his twin brother, Alex, both were speaking with military recruiters
before the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Those attacks sealed their
decision to sign up, as Alex Harting joined the Air Force, their father said.

Adam Harting also spent time in Portage High School’s ROTC program.

“I remember him coming up to me in the hallway and saying he was going to join
the Army,” said Maj. John Johnston, who oversees Portage’s ROTC. “I saw him on
TV once guarding something over there.”

Harting was interviewed by Time magazine in 2003 for being one of the youngest
soldiers, then 19, to arrive in Kuwait as part of the Iraq operation.

“I just figure there’s a lot of people here who take care of me,” he told the
magazine, referring to superiors who were assigned to watch out for soldiers
like him.

He was assigned to the 42nd Infantry Division based at Fort Stewart, Ga.

Harting’s death raises to 44 the number of Indiana service members who have been
killed in the Iraq war.
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Source: Associated Press

Motorcade Escorts Body of Fallen Soldier to Hometown

PORTAGE, Ind. — The body of a northwestern Indiana soldier was returned to his
hometown accompanied by a motorcade of police cars and fire trucks that joined
in along the route from a Chicago airport.

Spc. Adam J. Harting, 21, died July 25, when an explosive detonated near his
armored vehicle in Samarra, Iraq, the military said.

On Monday afternoon, the procession that started at O’Hare International Airport
slowly made its way through Portage, 40 miles east, where dozens of friends, and
people who did not know the soldier, turned out to greet it.

Drifter’s Restaurant and Lounge owners Dan and Rhonda Hedger gave Alex Harting
and his twin brother, Adam, their first jobs. They and their patrons watched the
motorcade.

“Went back for his buddies,” Roger Saurborn said. “There’s nothing else you can
say.”

Rhonda Hedger didn’t hold back her tears as police cars led the hearse carrying
Harting’s flag-draped casket through town. Police cars from Portage, Porter
County and Gary, trucks from the Portage Fire Department and members of the
American Veterans Motorcycle Riders Association joined the procession.

The 2002 Portage High School graduate was a member of the 3rd Battalion, 69th
Armor Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 42nd Infantry Division, based at Fort
Stewart, Ga. His death raises to 44 the number of Indiana service members to be
killed in the Iraq war.

“It’s just a reminder,” said Drennen Gaffney, a technical sergeant in the Air
Force, who waited with his family. “The price is high. The least we can do is
come out and show our gratitude.”

Gaffney’s family does not know the Hartings. But when his wife, Laura Gaffney,
learned about the procession, she called local businesses so they could put up
signs to encourage people to turn out, she said.

Some along the route held hand-drawn posters reading, “Portage’s Hero,” “Thank
you for making the ultimate sacrifice,” and “You’re forever in our hearts.”
________________________________________________________________
Source: Associated Press

ARMY SPC. ADAM J. HARTING Valparaiso, IN Formerly
Portage, IN Age 21 years, passed away on Monday, July 25, 2005 in Samarra, Iraq.
Adam graduated from Portage High School Class of 2002. He was a member of the
3rd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment 1st Brigade Combat team, 42nd Infantry
Division, Fort Stewart, Georgia. Adam was born on December 8, 1983 in Crown
Point, IN to Jim Harting who survives of Valparaiso, IN and mother, Katherine
Brown who survives of Monticello, IN. Also surviving are his brothers and
sisters, twin brother, Alex Harting, Mark Harting, Joshua Harting, James Harting
Jr. Leslie Olson, Tiffany Schuster, Tabitha Schuster, and Hannah Harting;
grandparents, Lou (Pat) Harting and Charlie (Mary) Sigrist; numerous aunts,
uncles and cousins. Funeral services will be held on Friday, August 5, 2005 at
10 a.m. at the Heritage Cemetery, 6941 Central Avenue, Portage, IN. Pastor Ron
Johnson, Sr. officiating. Interment in the Heritage Cemetery, Portage, IN. The
visitation will be held on Thursday, August 4, 2005 from 2-8 p.m. at the Edmonds
& Evans Funeral Home, Portage Chapel. Memorials may be made to the Adam J.
Harting Memorial Fund at Centier Bank. For more information please contact the
Edmonds & Evans Funeral Home Portage Chapel, (219) 762-1330.
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Source: Post-Tribune, Gary, Lake County, Indiana; August 3, 2005